After weeks in the trenches of the coronavirus battle, staffers at Novato Community Hospital got a round of applause from first responders on Wednesday.
Police and firefighters from Marin County agencies gathered at the entrance at 6:30 a.m. to cheer doctors, nurses and other employees during the morning shift change.
“There were lots of tears and thank yous,” said Shannon Thomas, chief nurse and administrative officer at the hospital. “It was so powerful.”
Thomas said since the pandemic hit, the hospital has seen a decline in “normal patients,” or those without the coronavirus. That’s because patients have been doing a good job of sheltering at home and following recommendations to keep medical staff safe, she said.
Still, every day, the hospital has been testing patients with possible virus symptoms. For those who need to be admitted, the hospital is equipped, Thomas said.
“We are really proud of our team here; they work so hard,” Thomas said. “This really sends a message that we care about them and are appreciative of the work they do.”
Novato police Lt. Sasha D’Amico said the agency participated in a similar appreciation event at MarinHealth Medical Center in Greenbrae a few weeks ago.
“So we decided this was something we wanted to do to celebrate our local heroes here in Novato,” D’Amico said.
Novato police officers were joined by first responders from the Novato Fire Protection District, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, the California Highway Patrol, the San Rafael Police Department, the Fairfax Police Department and the Central Marin Police Authority.
“They’re working hard, long hours,” D’Amico said. “We wanted to personally say thank you as well as professionally thank them.”
In San Rafael, first responders have planned a car parade from Terra Linda High School to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center on Thursday to show their gratitude. Participating police and fire agencies plan start the procession at 12:45 p.m.
“We’re in this together,” said San Rafael police Sgt. Justin Graham. “We appreciate everything our health care providers are doing to keep the community healthy and safe, and this is our way of expressing that appreciation.”